Two suspects arrested for robbery at cafe in Ostend

The facts took place on Thursday just after 9 p.m. in a cafe in the Nieuwpoortsesteenweg in the Mariakerke district. The suspects, two brothers from Ostend, entered with a knife and hammer at the ready and immediately went to the cash register of the case. A blow was dealt to the manager behind the counter. In the tumult, two customers tried to intervene, but one of them was hit on the leg. Later that evening, the man had to be taken to hospital for treatment. In the end, a customer was able to outsource both suspects. In the meantime, the manager had also called the police.

The duo would have fled with about 300 to 400 euros in the direction of the neighboring stadium of KV Oostende. While combing that neighborhood, the police were able to confiscate both the knife and hammer. A 27-year-old Ostend tried to hide under a car, but was quickly arrested. His companion initially managed to escape. On Friday morning, the 25-year-old from Ostend was still arrested in Gistel.

The two suspects were brought before the examining magistrate by the Bruges department of the West Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office. He decided Saturday morning to keep them both.